New regulations will require that customers of private trash haulers in town have to recycle, just like residents who take their trash and recyclables to the transfer station. The new regulations were adopted in November by the Kingston Board of Health, the town department that issues private hauler permits, and go into effect Saturday, April 15.
Health Agent Henny Walters said most cities and towns in the area have adopted similar regulations. The regulation applies to all contractors, firms and individuals operating as a solid waste disposal or private hauler collecting solid waste and recyclables from residential properties.
Walters said all six licensed private haulers in Kingston have been notified and sent copies of the regulations.
The licensed private haulers are Howard Disposal of Plymouth, ABC Disposal of New Bedford, Republic Services of Fall River, Waste Management of Norton, Lombard’s Waste of Plymouth and Dooley Disposal of Foxborough.
The regulations can be enforced by any member of the Board of Health, the health agent or their designee, such as transfer station workers These enforcement agents can inspect collection vehicles and loads at reasonable times in order to ensure they comply with all state laws and local regulations.
The initial penalties are $100 for a first violation, $200 for the second violation and $300 for the third violation. Additional fines or suspension or revocation of the hauler’s license may also result if the Board of Health determines at a show cause hearing that there has been a subsequent violation. Enforcement of the regulation can become a criminal matter.
Recycling Committee Chairman Gene Wyatt said the real purpose of bylaw is to cut down on the amount of waste that’s thrown away. It’s getting more expensive to get rid of waste, he said, with landfills in most towns closed and the only options being to ship it out of state, find a landfill that will take it or send it to a waste-to-energy plant. “The bottom line is to help residents become more sustainable,” he said.
Wyatt said it’s also the case that the state Department of Environmental Protection requested that Kingston and other communities adopt a regulation requiring private haulers to offer recycling as part of their services to their customers.
Kingston will be one of at least 75 communities in the state to adopt regulations for recycling for private haulers. Wyatt said that by implementing the regulation, Kingston can earn points toward grant money through DEP’s Recycling Dividend Program.
Wyatt said in addition to increasing recycling and being grant-eligible, adoption helps with regulation compliance, specifically the state regulation on waste bans that prohibit certain items from being thrown into the trash.
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